


The First Archery Lesson

by sushilushy



Series: Fire Emblem Fates [4]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: B support, Canon Compliant, F/M, Not Romance, Takumi's POV, heck they're not even friends still, kamui really wants to get along, still not romance, takumi's kind at heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-08-03 10:55:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16324913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sushilushy/pseuds/sushilushy
Summary: Corrin just really wants to impress Takumi, and he won't admit to himself that he's okay with that idea.An embellishment of their B support, from Takumi's point of view! I'd say it's pretty canon compliant, too. (Set in Revelations- post Mokushu, pre Frozen Sea)Meant as a sequel to "A Promise is Made" where Takumi agrees to give female Corrin her first archery lesson, though I guess it's not mandatory reading.





	The First Archery Lesson

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to the people who read my other Fire Emblem stories. Thank you to those who left kudos. Also, thank you so, so much to the one person who commented. That was really sweet of you, and honestly gave me the encouragement I needed to write this one. (Please don't feel obligated to comment again just because I said that, though!)
> 
> I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations. I will always endeavor to improve. Anyways, here's to you, dear reader!

I sat cross-legged on the stones, setting the Fujin Yumi before me. The clammy, dewy coolness of the rock beneath me wasn't entirely unpleasant. The scent of crushed, wet peach blossoms drifted through the breeze, tempering the sharp cold that struggled to penetrate my clothing. With my back to the archery range, I looked to the sky, where orange brilliance bloomed against the last grey dregs of night. The few birds that flitted about in this early hour called to each other in languid staccato. Here in the Astral Plane, this was the time and place where I felt most at peace. I closed my eyes and took in deep, long breaths of the damp morning air. I imagined calmness seeping into my being, a cool, minty feeling that began on my skin and worked its way inward.

When I finally came out of meditation, sunlight barely skimmed past the Nohrian forest's dense canopy. I never understood Kamui's insistence on having this forest featured on the castle grounds. The wood was dark, and the trees clung on to the few leathery leaves they could produce, so that when the wind passed through the treetops, it sounded like dry, cracked laughter. Branches twisted and knotted around each other in a desperate bid to present their paltry leafy offerings to the sun, effectively blocking any rays from reaching the forest floor--which, incidentally, was perpetually damp. It was an ugly thing.

I was about to enter the archery range behind me, when I was surprised to see Kamui already there. She stood by the rack of practice yumi. I watched, puzzled, as she made a bracket shape with her index finger and thumb. With her other hand, she thumbed through a book. Putting the book aside, Kamui then took down one of the longer weapons. She stood the bamboo yumi on the ground; it towered over her full height. She used her finger measure to approximate how much taller it was, and to my amusement, she couldn't reach the top. Miffed, she replaced the bow and hoisted down another, much smaller one.

I realized what she was doing. Kamui was trying to find the appropriately sized bow for her height. I decided to give her some time to prepare, so I crept away from the area. Apart from Subaki practicing mounted lance thrusts, nobody else was on the open castle grounds.

"Good morning, Lord Takumi," he said, flashing me an easy smile that showed just the right amount of teeth.

"Good morning," I replied. His pegasus alighted beside me. Even at this distance, I couldn't find a single hair or feather out of place on the beast.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Subaki asked.

"I'm fine, thanks."

Subaki returned to his practice, and I returned to my walk. I wondered how long I should wait before returning to the archery range. I thought about my last (and only) conversation with Kamui, where she'd accused me of not caring to know her. That was only half-true. I never knew how to approach Kamui, so I never had. Honestly, it was easier this way. If I didn't trust her completely, I couldn't be hurt if she betrayed me.

It looked to be about eight o'clock before I stepped into the practice range again. I didn't linger by the doorway this time. Kamui was sitting in a formal Hoshidan kneel, with a bamboo yumi and quiver of arrows neatly laid out before her.

"Ah. Good morning…" Kamui looked up at my approach, and hurried to stand. "Taa….ku…mi?!" She wore a startled expression as she wobbled, and then her legs splayed out from under her. Evidently, her legs were asleep.

"You look ridiculous," I remarked, scowling. If she was mocking me, I was going to leave straight away.

Kamui lowered her gaze and spoke with a fast, nervous pace. "Sorry. I did some extensive research on Hoshido's customs after we parted ways--I was anxious not to make a mistake like yesterday's, you see? I came early to choose an appropriately sized yumi, and Suzukaze told me this was the respectful way to sit in Hoshido. I…I didn't anticipate that kneeling like this would be so difficult, though."

Kamui was quite possibly the dumbest intelligent person I'd ever laid eyes on. I didn't know if it was the result of being raised in an isolated fortress, but she lacked common sense. Beyond this, she was always trying so hard to the point of it being embarrassing. I gathered myself for a moment and sighed (which I could already feel was the first of many to come). "Kamui. I told you yesterday not to call me your teacher, and I guess I should have specified not to treat me like one, either, so let's get this straight. I'm just here to test your loyalties, at _your_ request."

My harsh words sent a ripple of self-doubt into Kamui's red eyes; it was a look I knew all too well. So what? Was I supposed to feel guilty because I'd made her feel bad? I was just telling the truth. If this was all it took for her to abandon getting to know me better, then I didn't want to be close with her either.

She shakily came to a stand, and I could easily tell her foot was still asleep. Her voice, however, was resolute. "Then test me until you're satisfied. I'm taking this seriously, you know?"

The gentle honesty of her words made it difficult to second-guess her. Did Kamui really want to get along with me? Was it really as simple as it seemed? No. I had to be cautious; I was the strong one of the family, and I had to protect Sakura. There was no way I could trust this Nohrian-raised girl so easily. Not when her sudden appearance just happened to start this war. Still, I might have been too hard on her.

"Picking out the right-sized yumi and arrows though, was good. It will save some time," I mumbled under my breath.

"Sorry, what was that?" Kamui asked.

"Nothing. Are you ready to begin? I'll start with the proper names for the parts of the yumi, and then we can go over the proper stance."

"All right," she agreed, gingerly balancing herself on her heels.

I decided to give the blood circulation in the princess's legs a moment before we began, so I picked up the bamboo yumi and inspected it. It was of solid construction, with a proper shape and size; good enough. The stringing job didn't look like an amateur's, but it wasn't to my liking, and I wondered who had given her a hand with it.

"Takumi…? I said I was ready to begin." Kamui was now standing with one foot hovering a few centimeters above the floor. Gods. How was it possible that I was related to such an idiot? Couldn't she see I was giving her time to get comfortable? Fine. If that was what she wanted, then I wouldn't be giving her another break.

I raised the yumi and began to speak.

"Listen well. As you know, this is a type of long bow used by Hoshidan warriors called a yumi. I don't know what kind of useless accessories you Nohrians add on to your bows, but the yumi is meant to be used as is. A yumi doesn't just hit its target. It has to be aimed. According to your height, you should be using the nisun-nobi, so remember the length of this weapon…

"…As for the shape of the yumi, if it is too flat you should leave it unstrung after use. Otherwise…

"…Understand? I'm going to be testing you on basic knowledge, to see if you were really listening," I finished, startled at how much I had to say on the subject.

Not once during my long lecture had Kamui's attention drifted. She'd patiently focused on me and my demonstrations throughout, and I was beginning to understand why Sakura often described Kamui as a good listener. However, I wouldn't be fooled so easily. If Hinata could look like he was paying attention but really be daydreaming, so could Kamui.

"Describe to me the different parts of the yumi and their functions," I ordered sternly, handing the yumi over.

"Yes."

Kamui began calmly from the top of the bow, working her way downwards. Other than a few subtle pauses and slight mispronunciations, she was correct and surgically detailed on every count. I hated to admit it, but I was impressed. Right now, Kamui was exhibiting the unnervingly focused expression she normally brought to the battlefield.

"Shall I go on to explain yumi maintenance?" she asked.

I'd underestimated Princess Kamui. I could see she was taking our lesson seriously, so it would only be appropriate to afford her the same respect.

"No," I said. "You're ready to start."

Kamui was a skilled and intelligent fighter, and she learned quickly, as I'd expected. In the few hours I'd spent with her, the dragon princess had already accomplished more than an average soldier could in a week.

She was nowhere close to being useful in battle, but she was starting to get consistently close to hitting the targets. I watched with a critical eye as she brought her next arrow to eye level. Her stance still wasn't as stable as it could be.

"Kamui! Your arm is too low. Raise it three degrees! Also, bend your right knee another six degrees."

She did as I asked. Her long ponytail had settled on her shoulder, and she flicked her head impatiently so that it would swing free. Her body relaxed.

"What are you doing? Never take your eyes off the target!" I shouted.

I watched Kamui snap back into position, and I was surprised to see her arms tremble. "Okay...I'm doing my best! Just give me a moment to concentrate…"

I narrowed my eyes. "What was that? Who asked who for help? Don't tell me you're already whining!"

"No! I can do this. We're at war—I can't give up now." She grimaced.

Sweat had plastered Kamui's bangs to her forehead, and her cheeks were flushed. We'd been practicing for hours, and it looked like the yumi's draw weight was finally taking its toll on her. Why hadn't she said something? Why was she so desperate to impress me?

A sigh escaped my lips. "Fine, I guess we can take a break," I declared.

Kamui gratefully put her bow aside and took a long draught of water. She fixed her hair and washed her face before sitting down.

She stretched out the kinks in her back. "Whew. I must admit, I'm grateful for the rest. It's harder to bend a bow than I imagined."

"Well, of course. Did you think it would be easy?" I scoffed.

"To be honest...sort of. But, that's only because you make it look so easy, Takumi," she admitted with a little laugh.

"Are you being sarcastic?"

"No, I mean it! Watching you, it looks effortless. But when I pick up the bow... I realize that I need to work on my stance, my strength, and my concentration." Her smile was bright and earnest. She tilted her head slightly in a very charming manner. "Still, I've already improved. Wouldn't you agree?"

I nodded. "Yes. You are making progress. But make no mistake—you have a long way to go!" It was nicer than expected, spending time with Kamui. She was fun to teach, even if she made me worry about overreaching her limits. Also, I'd been wrong. The way she put all of her effort into doing things wasn't embarrassing. It was…kind of admirable.

She allowed herself one last stretch before getting to her feet and picking up her yumi anew. "Of course. So, why don't we get back to work?"

I followed suit. "Very well. OK, get into position, take a deep breath, slowly pull back…"

Kamui let out a sharp cry of pain and her yumi dropped to the ground with a clatter.

"What happened?!" I rushed to her side.

"Sorry! My hand slipped. Oh, damn. I'm bleeding." She was clutching her right hand now, and I caught a thin trail of blood trickling past her wrist.

"How bad is it?" I asked.  Kamui turned her upper body away from me.

"Not bad. I'll be fine," she insisted. The slight wince that followed said otherwise.

I firmly pulled at the crook of her elbow. "Let me see." The bowstring had left a nasty gash on her index finger as well as a thin line across her palm, both of which were bleeding freely. Seeing this, I let go of her arm. "Nope, you're done for today."

She grabbed my sleeve with her good hand. "But I want to keep practicing! This is my only chance to learn from you!" _I wanted to impress you!_ I could see it written all over her face.

"I said you're done. You can't hit anything with an injury like that," I said with a tone of finality. She looked devastated. Her red eyes had a certain shine to them--was she going to cry? "And besides...you'll get other chances," I added quickly, horrified.

"Do you mean that, Takumi? I'd be really grateful for the opportunity."

I nodded stiffly in lieu of a reply; Kamui was a little too close for comfort. She let go of my sleeve.

"Then, I guess I'll go get this bandaged up…"

"I'll clean up here," I said. I breathed a sigh of relief.

 I picked up her yumi and wiped it down carefully. The beaded drops of blood left behind on the bowstring absorbed into the cloth, where they seemed to bloom into a grotesque design.

"Maybe I pushed her too hard…"

Considering her hand injury, it'd be about a week before we could have our second lesson. Would she be okay until then? I could take on some of her daily tasks, but she used her right hand to wield Yato in battle. She should stay away from fighting. For now, the most we'd probably encounter were bandits or disorganized ninja groups from Mokushu.

I wished I hadn't been so stubborn. To be honest, I'd wanted to get along with Kamui. It was so gods-damned hard to come out and say it, especially after the way I reacted at Mother's death. Avoiding Kamui was just easier, and I'd made up any number of excuses to do it, too. The truth was that I'd already begun trusting her by the time we left Izumo. Seeing her work so hard today just reinforced that feeling.

 _I'll start by apologizing properly_.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact, "A yumi doesn't just hit its target. It has to be aimed," is the piece of advice Kamui passes on from her lessons with Takumi on to Kisaragi in the Hoshidan Bonds DLC! (You know, one of the DLC that never made its way to America. Siigh.) I thought it was only appropriate that I include it here.
> 
> I learned a little bit about the yumi while writing. It really is a bizarrely tall, unsymmetrical weapon! There are even rules about how long your arrows should be, based on your height. (Also, the Fujin Yumi that we see in illustrations is actually...kinda...too short for Takumi's height, haha. It should be taller than him.)
> 
> Funnily enough, I can understand Takumi the most out of any Fire Emblem Fates/if character. I wonder if that's why I'm so fond of him (lol).
> 
> Anyways, the next work in this collection should be up within two weeks.


End file.
